Last year, Ford recalled more than 400,000 older model Escape SUVs.

Ford has paid the top penalty of $17.35 million to settle government allegations that the company was slow to recall nearly a half-million SUVs to fix gas pedals prone to sticking.

The fine, announced Thursday, is linked to the July 2012 recall of nearly 485,000 Ford Escape SUVs from the 2001 to 2004 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contends Ford knew about the problem in May 2011, but failed to take action until the agency began investigating in July 2012. The probe began after a teenage Arizona girl died in an Escape crash in January 2012.

Regulators felt they had a case that Ford violated the law by delaying the recalls, but Ford denied any violations, according to a June 28 settlement agreement posted online by NHTSA Thursday.